Robert Lewandowski did not reject Man Utd after Sir Alex Ferguson talks

Robert Lewandowski came close to moving to Manchester United in 2012 only for a move to be blocked by Borussia Dortmund.

Lewandowski moved to Dortmund from Lech Poznan in 2010 and attracted the attention of a number of European clubs after scoring 30 goals in the 2011/12 season and winning back-to-back Bundesliga titles.

And the Poland captain recalls talking to then-Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson about a move to Old Trafford.

“I was speaking with him [Ferguson] after two years at Dortmund and at that time I was really thinking about a move to Manchester United,” Lewandowski told The Guardian.

“Because of Ferguson and because of Manchester United.”

However, the German giants were not going to let go of their star forward.

“Borussia Dortmund said no, that’s that,” Lewandowski added. “It was the first time I was thinking about the move because if you get a phone call from Sir Alex Ferguson, for a young player it was something amazing. That was a special day for me.”

Lewandowski stayed at Jurgen Klopp’s Dortmund until the conclusion of his contract in 2014, scoring 36 goals in the 2012/13 season and 28 goals in the 2013/14 campaign.

He then joined Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich, who had triumphed over Dortmund in the 2013 Champions League final.

Lewandowski has scored 229 goals since moving to the Allianz Arena and developed into one of the best strikers in the world, leaving Manchester United fans wondering what could have been if Dortmund had not blocked the move in 2012.

As a result, Ferguson opted to recruit Robin van Persie from Arsenal and the Dutch striker’s 26 goals spearheaded United to the 2012/13 Premier League title.

Now in his 30s, Lewandowski spoke of his desire to stay at the top of his game for years to come, adding: “I want to play for a long time.

“I don’t feel 31 years old and everything I am doing now is working to keep me in top for the next five, six years.”